Friday, August 22, 2014

First Woman to Win Fields Medal

The world of STEM recently welcomed its first ever women
recipient of the prestigious Fields Medal.Sometimes referred to as the “Nobel Prize of Mathematics,” the Fields
Medal is the highest international prize in mathematics.

Fields Medal recipients are recognized as the top mathematic
scholars from around the world.Given by
the International Mathematical Union (IMU), the most recent winner is Stanford
professor, Dr. Maryam Mirzakhani.

Dr. Mirzakhani made history by being the first woman to win
the ‘Nobel Prize’ of mathematics.The
previous 52 winners have all been men.

This event is not only significant for Dr. Mirzakhani, but
for the STEM world as well.

IMU president Ingrid Daubechies stated that Mirzakhani’s
accomplishment is “hugely symbolic,” and “hopes it will encourage more women to
get into mathematics because we need more women.”

Even though Mirzakhani’s success is a breakthrough for women
in STEM, her achievement is all too rare in these male-dominated fields.A recent study conducted at the University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee found that nearly 40% of female engineers with degrees
leave their jobs prematurely or never apply at all.

This occurrence can be contributed to a lack of appropriate mentoring
for young women as well as social bias towards male mathematicians and
scientists.

Hopefully Mirzakhani’s victory will be one, not only for
herself, but also for all women throughout the STEM world.